My Ultimate Pilates Session ✨

My idea of the best Pilates session is one where you feel challenged yet successful — one where you sweat, stretch, and the exercises never get stale! I’m constantly mixing up what I teach to keep it interesting to my clients and me. The Pilates repertoire complemented with the equipment allows for a versatile practice […]

Client Stories: Pilates is for EveryBODY (I know it’s cliche)

It’s cliche to say Pilates is for everyBODY — But as I dive deeper into my own personal practice and witness clients’ practices develop, I am in awe of the impact it has on their lives. When you first start your sessions, I make the promise that Equipoise Pilates will transform your body and enhance […]

3 Reasons Why Clients Take Pilates From Me & Why You Should Too

There are hundreds of reasons why people should take Pilates, but in this blog, I’m going to stick to why clients take Pilates from me. I serve a range of clients and cater to each person’s needs. It’s my priority to provide a custom experience that gives each client the attention they deserve. In this […]

Pilates for Menopause: “Life Doesn’t Stop At 50”

There is no good way to introduce this topic, so here we go — Let's talk about menopause and empowering women to enjoy this challenging yet exciting time. I can see the eyeballs rolling because a twenty-something-year-old is writing about menopause. However, I assure you that I am writing about what I know best — Pilates. Carolyne Side Anthony, in the article Pilates for Menopause: Here's How it Can Help with Symptoms, advocates that, "As movement specialists, we can care for the menopausal body in ways that may help support these changes and some of the symptoms associated with it." If you are a woman experiencing insomnia, hormonal mood swings, and weight gain, Pilates for menopause can offer hope and ensure confidence. There will be changes and challenges for the menopausal woman, but embrace it, stay active, and as I always say, let the mat meet you where you’re at. Bread Is Not The Culprit Estrogen and progesterone help build muscle mass which burns calories. In the article, Why am I gaining weight so fast during menopause? And will hormone therapy help?, Jamie Bartosch explains that during menopause, estrogen and progesterone decrease. As a result, mature ladies will most commonly experience weight gain caused by a change in hormone output. That means, lucky for us women, bread is not the culprit. Furthermore, since this is a new phase in your life, it is an opportunity to push your body. Ms. Anthony, the founder of The Center for Women’s Fitness, expresses that, “If you're picturing a low-impact, low-effort workout, think again.” She challenges the conventional thinking that women of a certain age should slow down and take it easy. Instead, she says a smarter and, yes, harder workout may be just the ticket. After our sessions at Equipoise Pilates, you will feel challenged yet successful and on your way to your healing, well-being, and longevity goals. “Life Does Not Stop At 50” Once fifty hits and the menopausal hot flashes arrive, you still have time to spread your influence — “Life does not stop at 50”. As women, time is our greatest asset to continue helping, serving, and loving others. Many of you are moms. Even if your children are grown, you still have life lessons to share. To truly take advantage of time, you need energy. The article Your Postpartum Q’s Answered, by Amanda Altma, offers insight into the world of being a mom. She writes, “oxygenation, coupled with the increased circulation you get from movement, is also what gives you increased energy”. The breathwork emphasized in Pilates will have you leaving the studio feeling energized and revitalized. Once you gain more energy, you and I can work on slimming down or developing your long-lost abs.  Setbacks to Six-Pack Abs  Menopausal women face setbacks to six-pack abs, mainly from the hormonal shift in estrogen and progesterone. Every female client I have wants to lose weight around their midsection and develop their core. Adding Pilates to your routine, with the integration of mindful postural alignment, cardiovascular endurance training, and plank exercises, is like a three-course meal — delicious. In any three course meal, we don’t want our main course to come before our appetizer. Similarly, postural alignment is the appetizer. You must have a taste and understanding of good posture and proper form before the entree. During our Pilates sessions, I facilitate a practice largely based around form. Although, sometimes I like to keep sessions interesting and offer dessert first. If you are interested in applying your practice to your life, which I hope you are, my tip is to focus on posture rather than doing fifty sit-ups a day. I once challenged my avid bridge player client to sit up taller during a game each time the deck is shuffled. The goal is to encourage muscle memory, so that sitting up straight becomes an unintentional habit. Our abdominal region is a stabilizing unit. Its purpose is to keep our spines upright. Therefore, let’s use it how it’s intended. Your ab strength will develop through mindful engagement when sitting, walking, doing Pilates, and living. Plus, clients even say good posture takes ten years off.  Age is Beauty Nowadays, youthfulness is considered rare beauty. However, I believe it is more rare to see a woman completely embrace where she is at in life. I find at any age that true and rare beauty radiates from a confident and authentic woman. Therefore, do not condemn aging, but embrace it. Now that your children are grown, dive head first into your Pilates practice. You’ll find that the secret to anti-aging is exercise. Once you start Pilates, you will leave each session feeling like a new woman. There is no magic serum that will add more quality years to your life like Pilates. Like I say, let the mat meet you where you’re at. You’re at a different stage in life, give yourself grace and embrace your new beauty. There is no going back in time, there is only forward. Going Forward My advice to see the best results, is practicing Pilates with me at least twice a week. As a movement specialist, I can adapt to your needs and goals to provide a challenging session that supports the changes in your body. Furthermore, like anything, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. I love when clients fully engage in their practice and can see the difference it makes physically and mentally. I hope this article is a resource and added support for you in this ever changing time. Remember that life does not stop at fifty, the hot flashes will end, age is beauty, and Equipoise Pilates is here to help.   https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/womens-health-articles/menopause-weight-gain-hormone-therapy https://www.pilatesanytime.com/blog/seniors/pilates-for-menopause-heres-how-it-can-help-with-symptoms https://www.pilatesanytime.com/cx/postpartum-pilates-cust https://www.pilatesanytime.com/blog/pregnancy/your-postpartum-pilates-qs-answered

There is no good way to introduce this topic, so here we go — Let’s talk about menopause and empowering women to enjoy this challenging yet exciting time. I can see the eyeballs rolling because a twenty-something-year-old is writing about menopause. However, I assure you that I am writing about what I know best — […]

How To Get Started With Equipoise Pilates

How to Get Started with Equipoise Pilates: Welcome to Equipoise Pilates. I am so happy you are on my website and showing interest in Pilates. First and foremost, I am the owner and Pilates specialist Annie Maxwell. At Equipoise Pilates, I offer one-on-one sessions tailored to your needs and goals. As Joseph Pilates once said, “[Pilates] will give you suppleness, skill, and natural grace that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you talk, and in the way you play”. My mission is to develop strength and mobility in the body through the Pilates method of low-impact body conditioning in that same way. Arguably the best part of my job, beyond interacting with my wonderful clients, is seeing how Pilates not only transforms their bodies but enhances their quality of life.  About Me I began Equipoise Pilates in my hometown of Warsaw, Indiana. After meeting the love of my life and getting married, I moved to Sarasota to join him and restart Equipoise Pilates with all of you. Before starting my studio, my passion was dance. I majored in dance and arts management at Indiana University. At sixteen, I received my yoga certification to propel my dance training, but I knew from that point on I wanted to own my own studio teaching yoga and Pilates. To fulfill that dream, during my last year at IU, I trained with Corinna Cosentino at Lotus Pilates (https://www.lotuspilates.com/teachers). After 600 hours of training, I earned my Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Certification in the body conditioning method of Joseph H. Pilates. Currently, I service a large range of clients, primarily using Pilates as post-surgical rehab and prenatal and postnatal therapy. With that said, no matter your needs or goals, I promise to offer a customized session to each of my clients. Getting Started   I hope I have piqued your interest enough for you to schedule your first session! First, visit https://equipoisepilatesllc.as.me/schedule.php  On this page, choose to book your first private session and select a time and day that fits into your schedule.  Once that is complete, go back to see your payment options. I recommend the introductory package to first-time clients.    As you begin Pilates, I encourage you to engage it with the mindset; the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Mr. Pilates famously said that “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in twenty sessions you will see the difference, and in thirty sessions you will have a whole new body”. Like many others, I hope you try Pilates and reap the benefits of strength, energy, and longevity. 

Welcome to Equipoise Pilates. I am so happy you are on my website and showing interest in Pilates. First and foremost, I am the owner and Pilates specialist Annie Maxwell. At Equipoise Pilates, I offer one-on-one sessions tailored to your needs and goals. As Joseph Pilates once said, “[Pilates] will give you suppleness, skill, and […]

Just Breathe, It’s Only Pilates

Unless you are in a yoga class, breathing is not a conscious effort. Often, when we partake in physical activity, we hold our breath. Exercises like…